Father Trout's Easter Letter 2020

                                                                                               
 
 
 
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,     
 
Easter dawns accompanied by signs of spring – blooming tulips, crocuses and daffodils, budding trees and more daylight with each passing day – yet saying Happy Easter is a challenge this year. The new life belies the unease and fear around us and the paschal mystery takes on added poignancy as we journey through this pandemic. Living through the AIDS pandemic while serving in South Africa, I learned that facing adversity and uncertainty puts things in perspective.
 
While Covid-19 is much more frightening as it is invisible and seems to be everywhere, and looks can be deceiving, I believe it is important to trust the signs nature bestows on us. As spring bursts forth, its presence reminds us of the deepest Christian teachings: that life and love are always stronger than sickness and death. St. Catherine of Siena underscored that God loved us even before we came into existence and will continue to love us after we cease to exist in this life. This is a time to renew our trust in this infinite love and set aside every fear.
 
Gratitude is crucial to renewing our trust in this pre-existing, never-ending love. In our current situation, it is moving to see the appreciation so many people are expressing for those caring for the sick or working to find a vaccine or cure. It is those who make a difference in difficult times who are essential in life. With creativity, generosity and an abiding human spirit, people throughout the world give thanks for the resilience, selflessness and significant contributions of the medical and scientific communities, as well as the dedication of first responders who serve and protect, teachers pivoting to online teaching for the sake of their students, and for those like grocery store workers and others in essential services or volunteers stepping up to do whatever needs to be done.

Authentic relationships in our lives – family and friends, colleagues, neighbors and fellow parishioners – deserve our gratitude as well. This authenticity reveals itself in their readiness to assist us during challenging times or to assure us that we are valued and cherished. Gratitude is also acknowledging that we did not create ourselves. Our life is a gift from God and while there is nothing we can do to guarantee it, God gives us life to enjoy it to the full. Doing this begins with giving thanks to the giver of the gift and focusing on what is good, beautiful and present in our lives, rather than on what we perceive as absent, broken or threatening. We are not a problem to be fixed; we are a gifted creation to be nurtured, appreciated and celebrated.
 
The Resurrection of Jesus that we celebrate at Easter acclaims the restoration of life and love. They cannot be destroyed. “We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him.” [Rom. 6:9] Given that we will exist in life and love after we cease to live in this world, the special grace of this Easter invites us to contemplate what spring is revealing to us about God and, with grateful hearts, wish each other Happy Easter.
 
Wishing you a share in the joy of the Risen Lord this Easter,

  
Father John Trout